Swiss rider Jeremy Seewer (Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team) lived up to his role as favourite on Gaildorf’s well prepared Auf der Wacht circuit by posting the fastest lap of the day in a time of 1:45.897 minutes. He will start Sunday’s race from pole position. “Of course, it always feels great to be the first to pick his spot on the starting grid,” said the Yamaha works rider. “I really enjoy riding at Gaildorf. The track is really well prepared and has a great layout. I’m on excellent form at the moment and will obviously try to win tomorrow but that’s never easy. You need to get a good start and hope that nothing goes wrong, but I’m good to go!”
Estonian rider, Tanel Leok (A1M Husqvarna) set the fastest time (1:47.122 minutes) in the first qualifying group and also sees Seewer as the favourite to win the two races on Sunday. “If I’m honest, then I have to say that I don’t think he can be beaten here,” he told us, showing respect for his rival. “He’s number two in the world right now, and that’s not an easy thing to achieve. I personally felt a little bit tired today after a pretty hectic week and am not entirely happy with my bike’s setup. We’ll try out a few more things tomorrow in the warm-up and see then how things go.”
Belgian rider, Jens Getteman (Monster Energy’s Kawasaki Elf Team Pfeil), currently leads the ADAC MX Masters standings and will line up in grid slot eight on Sunday. He lost a good second or so to Leok but did not appear unduly worried, nor did Dennis Ullrich (Bodo Schmidt Motorsport/Husqvarna), who will be fifth on the grid. “There‘s nothing to be won on Saturday, no points or anything,” he said. “It’s only the two races on Sunday that count.” MX2 world champion Henry Jacobi had to struggle in qualifying with the lack of cubic capacity of the 250cc machine he rides in the world championship. “It’s not at all easy here to post a fast lap time when you’re up against the 450 cc riders,” said the reigning ADAC MX Masters champion. “But still, things could look very different in tomorrow’s race.”
ADAC MX Youngster Cup
Two of the riders currently dominant in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup, Jeremy Sydow (DIGA-Procross Husqvarna) and Rene Hofer (KTM Junior Racing), went head-to-head to secure the fastest time in the first qualifying group. Austrian rider Hofer managed to post a fabulous lap relatively early on which remained unbeaten until the end of the qualifying session. “The track was in fantastic condition, and I rode an excellent lap,” he said. “Not perfect, but without any major flaws, so I’m now really looking forward to the two races on Sunday.” Sydow launched another attack towards the end of the 20-minute session to try and beat Hofer’s time and actually set a new best time on the first split but had to break off from his flying lap a little later, visibly frustrated, when he hit traffic and was forced to ease off by slower riders.
Two riders from the MX2 world championship set the pace in the second qualifying group, Mikkel Haarup (Rockstar IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing) and Jan Pancar (Yamaha). Although Haarup posted best time, he was still not totally satisfied with his performance. “I just did not feel good on the bike,” said the Danish rider, annoyed with himself. “But the track is really great and a lot of fun. It’s not easy to overtake, but that should work out fine in the race. I definitely intend to win tomorrow!”
ADAC MX Junior Cup 125
Once again, it was Simon Längenfelder (WZ Racing/KTM), who dominated proceedings in the ADAC MX Junior Cup 125. The young Bavarian posted a hot time right at the beginning of the quali and with apparent ease, was able to fend off attacks from his pursuers on several occasions. “I was able to find much better tracks to follow than in free practice,” said Längenfelder. “My mechanic kept me informed of what the competition were doing at all stages, so we had everything under control and now, I hope that everything will work out just as well again on Sunday.”
Längenfelder’s regular rival, Mike Gwerder (KINI KTM Junior Pro Team), was even beaten by Liam Everts (Team KTM Liamski) at Gaildorf and had to settle for third place as a result. Another rookie, Camden McLellan, managed to finish fourth.
ADAC MX Junior Cup 85
The first points-scoring race in the ADAC MX Junior Cup 85 was held on Saturday and the many fans present were treated to another show of raw power by championship leader, Edvards Bidzans. The Latvian rider had set the fastest lap time earlier in qualifying and wasted no time in the race. The 14-year-old rider took P1 while still on the first lap and quickly extended his lead. “My start was not brilliant, but I then quickly took the lead and rode my own race,” said Bidzans. “I hope the same thing happens on Sunday.”
Sacha Coenen (Grizzly Yamaha Junior Team INDG) made a good start but then had a moment of shock-horror when he had to run wide after a landing that went wrong. “That cost me a lot of places,” said the Belgian in annoyance. “As a result, winning was out of the question, but I was able to fight my way back up into second place. I intend to do even better tomorrow.” Valentin Kees (Kosak Racing Team) did not have a great start but drove a strong race and was rewarded with a place on the podium. “I have to practise my starts a bit more,” said the Bavarian rider. “After a few laps, though, I found a good rhythm, was able to make progress and push forwards.”